BB Proof Pros

People, I am here to tell you that the Freelancing lifestyle is far superior to that of working a conventional job – IF you can unquestionably support yourself with your income.

I have had a taste of it and thus have every intention of getting back to self-sufficiency again. This time, however, I will arrange to do it without worrying about how I’m going to pay for rent, power, internet, food, etc.

For almost a year I was doing well as an online editor, writer and consultant. I was spoiled with a loyal word-of-mouth clientele that basically came to me with large, long-term projects. Life was good.

Projects come to an end, however, and one by one my clients went on to promote the work we had finished. Suddenly I found myself with no income  and no real idea of how to promote myself. In fact, I was not very motivated to drum up new clients whom I did not know through existing clients.

I was actually afraid to prospect for clients. So I did nothing.

Well, I did put this website together, but I have failed to commit to maintaining it. Not a good thing for someone who seeks to help other people build and maintain their online presence and write stellar, kick-butt ebooks. My excuse was that I was too busy working on other people’s websites and social media to keep up with my own. This was only partly true; I was still working on small projects here and there, but in all honestly those projects did not take so much time that I could not have spent a few minutes a day toward my own promotional needs. They certainly did not – and do not – provide a living wage.

It’s time for me to work toward making that living wage through my own efforts a reality again.

I know what to do with words and sentences and paragraphs, catchy headlines and content flow, and making Facebook, Twitter and your blog all play nice and talk to each other. I don’t know what to do to get you interested in paying me for it. That’s what I will be actively working toward now. Starting with my first new client: Me.

Whenever I read a blog or a news article, or view a video online, I always read the comments below it because I learn so much about the social climate of people and places that way. But I am also disturbed by most of what I read because the overwhelming majority of it is purely negative.

As someone who has lived most of my life in negativity, bitterness and anger, I can only shake my head and sigh over these comments by people who share my curse. It does seem to be a societal one and hard for people like us to get past.

But I am learning to get past it. And part of that has been learning to embrace the power in examples of simple belief, hope and positivity. As a result, my most recent experience is that you really can change your life – most importantly, the quality of your life – by simply changing your perspective. By changing your Mind. (more…)

I have noticed what appears to be a corporate-driven government backlash to the rise of small business and entrepreneurship that has come about in response to the economic difficulties we are all facing.

American ingenuity is showing its head and apparently that is threatening to the powers that be. We can’t get jobs? Fine, we’ll figure out how to make money on our own, because it’s necessary. But now there are a whole slew of new taxes, new regulations, new barriers that serve no real purpose except to make it hard, or even impossible, for people like you and me to run their own small businesses profitably. (more…)

JOBLESS (how to quit your day job and begin your climb to the top)

by Alan De Keyrel

As soon as I opened Alan De Keyrel’s book JOBLESS (how to quit your day job and begin your climb to the top) I knew I had to read it. JOBLESS proved to be one of those can’t-put-it-down reads.

This is not a thick book, but it is dense with substance. The layout is open and inviting. De Keyrel employs a highly readable, friendly and conversational writing style, and his book is filled with his own personal experiences as a struggling – and eventually prospering – small business owner. His story is real and immediately accessible which is why his message hits home so strongly: We Can Relate. In fact, you will see yourself and your business more clearly than you ever have before. (more…)

Becoming a Manager: How New Managers Master the Challenges of Leadership

by Linda A. Hill

People tend to naturally lean toward the dynamics of leadership, or the structure of management. Only rarely are both talents innately present in equal measure, but both are necessary to some degree in each capacity. As a management position is likely in my future at some point, I want to better understand how management differs from leadership, how aspects of supervision and management compare, and how one can balance leadership aptitudes with management skills. (more…)